Reviewer:
Dodsworth the Cat
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September 29, 2024 Subject:
Chinese Wall
People today moan it was so much easier and affordable to own a house in their parents' day. Well, here in this film in 1959, they're complaining about
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the cost of housing. Nothing's changed. The film touts planned communities but that doesn't address the fact (mentioned in this film) that growth causes more and more land to swallowed up by housing. No amount of planning will change that. There are lots of drawings in this short. The script seems obsessed with a Chinese wall.
Reviewer:
Christine Hennig
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September 7, 2005 Subject:
NO OUTLET
This 50s film, made by the National Association of Home Builders, decries suburban sprawl, proposing that it be replaced by planned suburban sprawl. Actually,
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thats being a little bit mean, as the film is quite even-handed and balanced in making its points, even to the point of saying that much more research needs to be done before we can really say what the definite solutions will be. Their advice must have been taken to heart, as many of their proposed ideas, such as cluster-built housing developments (you know, the kind where the streets are all curvy and there are lots of circles and you cant find your way back into the main traffic grid to save your life), cul-de-sacs, and townhouses were adopted all over the place. Theres lots of historical interest in this film, as it gives you a good idea of the city planning problems created by the suburban housing boom during the 50s. And it has lots of fun graphics, such as the guy pointing to a screen containing a big question mark, a meeting where one of the guys I swear is falling asleep, or a planner looking over a big subdivision map and looking really stressed out. Lots of stills for future art projects, I say. Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Reviewer:
Spuzz
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April 6, 2003 Subject:
Keep the sprawl down! (except at the end)
This interesting film, made in 1959, warns the housebuilders of the problems of urban sprawl. This seems to be a pretty sound arguement, as overviews of
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vastly unoriginal developments with seemingly endless straight streets were gradually replaced by curvy more land friendly developments. More informational then schlocky, this film was educational and quite interesting. Bonus: One of the longest end credits for a 15 minute film ever seen! You talk about sprawl!
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